Chapter 249: Aiming at Central Asia

Chapter 249: Aiming at Central Asia

Chapter 249: Aiming at Central Asia
The palace of the Khan of Kokand was covered in blood and traces of fighting. The powerful minister Adayar and hundreds of traitors who attacked the palace were all killed.

Dong Fuxiang, holding a saber with blood dripping from the tip, strode into the Khan's palace.

The teenage Khan had just been pulled out from under the imperial bed by the old butler. His clothes were disheveled, and when he saw the ferocious Dong Fuxiang, he quickly hid behind the old butler.

Dong Fuxiang sighed, saying that this boy had no hope of becoming a ruler. No wonder a new powerful official emerged every time one died in Kokand.

Fortunately, he had self-knowledge and knew that if he surrendered to the Qing court, he could become a rich man and live a peaceful life.

"Uncle Gao Ximu, when are we going to the capital? I don't want to stay here for even a day."

Whether it is men in power in the East or in old Western imperialist countries, it is a bottom line principle that political struggles should not harm the lives of opponents.

No one can guarantee that he will always win. It is important to leave some room for others so that they can meet again in the future. Veteran warlords like Shao Quanzhong have always practiced this.

Only a small-minded and vicious woman like the Empress Dowager Cixi, or an American barbarian without any historical accumulation, would kill the opponent after winning, or would always hire a mentally ill gunman, which is very ugly.

Kokand was a small and barbaric country, and it was also quite uncivilized. Every change of regime resulted in bloodshed.

If you are born in a Khan's family and do not have great talent and strategy, you are no safer than an ordinary citizen.

Dong Fuxiang received the order from General Shao Quanzhong and immediately led his men to help the Khan of Kokand. He didn't know that the Qing court had already conferred the title of King Zhongshun on the trembling young man in front of him.

He sheathed his sword and saluted, "Don't worry, Khan. With me here, you are safe as a rock. Khan, please give the order and the whole country of Kokand will cooperate with the Huai Army in taking over."

"Uncle Gao Ximu, you just need to discuss everything with General Dong, and I will be responsible for signing and stamping."

The young Khan was very good at this job and had been doing it for several years. He was used to stamping his approval on decisions made by powerful officials.

The city of Kokand closed its gates and launched a massive hunt for the remnants of the traitor Adayar. Adayar had already surrendered, but none of the remnants were killed, they were all arrested.

Adayar actually did not have many troops under his control, and they were all concentrated in the city of Kokand, and he captured them all in one wave.

How could the young Khan be bullied by powerful officials? The main reason was that his own ability was too poor.

If one had one tenth of the ability of Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty and Murad IV of the Ottoman Empire, no powerful official would dare to have any evil intentions.

Messengers from the Khan's palace went out to convey the Khan's intention to submit to the Qing Dynasty and for the Huai Army to take over the Kokand Kingdom.

The security forces and ordinary people in various places don’t care. Who cares if they don’t have to pay grain and taxes?

With the help of the Qing Dynasty, we don't have to worry all day about when the Russians will attack us.

After all, Kokand had been a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty for many years, and the Huai Army seemed to have strict military discipline. If the Russians came, the Cossack gang would kill, burn and rob.

The next day, two cavalry battalions of the Gansu Army moved westward to the north and south banks of Syr Darya Lake, controlling the main transportation route connecting the Fergana Basin, the core area of ​​Kokand, with the outside world.

The area of ​​Kokand is not small, at 350,000 square kilometers, but its core area, the Fergana Basin, is only more than 20,000 square kilometers.

Such a small area has a population of one million, which is equal to the Ili Province of more than 1.6 million square kilometers. This is because the Fergana Basin is blessed with unique natural conditions and is known as the granary of Central Asia. It is a real treasure trove.

The basin is surrounded by mountains, and the Syr Darya River flows through the basin, irrigating the fertile land. It is basically a Central Asian version of the Land of Abundance.

The basin is connected to Yili Province through the narrow Tianshan Gorge. The western exit is narrow, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Thanks to the cooperation of the Khan of Kokand, the Huai Army easily captured Kokand.

After occupying the main transportation routes on the north and south banks of Syr Darya Lake, Kokand was completely taken over by the Huai Army.

Even if the Russians had a million-strong army, they would be helpless in the face of a natural barrier where one man could block the passage of ten thousand. Moreover, after the defeat in the Crimean War, they no longer have that many soldiers.

For the Gansu cavalry that roamed the Western Regions, an area of ​​more than 20,000 square kilometers could be covered in just a few days.

On the fourth day of August, 6,000 people from four infantry battalions of the Gansu Army crossed the Tianshan Gorge and arrived in Andijan.

As the situation in Kokand was initially settled, the Huai Army immediately wielded their butcher knives.

Of course, it was impossible to kill the honest farmers, but to arrest people in Andijan with a list. Andijan was Yakub Beg's hometown. Kokand sent 60,000 Kokand soldiers to invade Ili Province. All of them owed blood debts, and at least half of them were in Andijan.

None of the 60,000 soldiers returned to their hometowns. They were killed or captured by the Huai Army in Yili Province.

Now the Huai Army named the names of the soldiers with blood debts and implicated their families, reducing them to slaves.

The Huai Army captured 300,000 people in one go, accounting for 30% of the population of Kokand.

All men over the age of twelve, regardless of age, were driven to the Tianshan Gorge to widen the road.

A large project of conscripting 100,000 people, although they were slaves, also needed food. Where did the food come from? Of course, it came from the Fergana Basin, a large granary.

The Khanate of Kokand no longer exists and has become a province of the Qing Dynasty. We will send a governor to govern it in the future, and naturally we cannot just steal food.

Two hundred thousand women and young slaves were sold to other residents of Kokand in exchange for food.

The raid on the homes of 60,000 Kokand invaders, as well as the raid on the homes of Adayar's gang, also yielded a rich harvest. The Huai Army did not keep any of the silver they obtained, but used it all to buy food and build roads.

The Tianshan Gorge and the Tiemenguan Gorge are two natural barriers that Shao Quanzhong had to overcome during his westward expedition to Central Asia, and both are currently under construction.

Those who were captured were of course very dissatisfied, and those who resisted were killed, but the surviving Kokand people gloated over their misfortune.

You followed Yakub Beg to Ili Province to rob and kill people, and came back to show off your wealth, which was illegal. Now you deserve to be suppressed by the court. As for us who are honest farmers, haven't we all been punished?

Maintaining public order is not afraid of large-scale arrests, but you must have principles. The Huai Army does not enforce the law and does not punish the masses. Those who kill must pay the price.

There are no good people among those who go out to rob, and there are basically no good people at home.

After the Huai Army captured the people, the public security situation in the Fergana Basin suddenly became a model for all provinces of the Qing Dynasty, and the honest people of Kokand applauded.

Dong Fuxiang became the emperor of Kokand, arresting people everywhere in Kokand and directing the Tianshan Gorge widening project.

The first step is to enable steam tractors to run, and later we will build a railway from here to Kokand Province.

On the Kashgar side, Shao Quanzhong welcomed the General Staff led by Grant and Emery, as well as the two battalions of the Guards Brigade that were originally stationed in Dabancheng and Toksun. The 6,000 people of the fourth battalion of the Guards Brigade finally got together again, and also came the 10,000 Torghut cavalry led by Fat Tiger.

More than 16,000 troops of Dong Fuxiang's army went to eat food in Kokand Province. The four cities in southern Xinjiang can support 20,000 soldiers, and the troops in the rear will follow.

The Solon Battalion, Xibe Battalion, Tubo Battalion, and Torghut Cavalry Reinforced Division finally began regular training.

Master Lin Bozai went to Aksu and was supplied with food from Aksu, Wushi, Baicheng and Kuche.

Nie Shicheng and Shao Hengzhong's troops were stationed in Korla. One third of the food was supplied by Korla, one third was transported from northern Xinjiang, and only one third needed to be transported from Jiayuguan.

After the pacification of Ili Province, especially the pacification of Kokand Province, the granary of Central Asia, and the autumn harvest, the Western Expedition Army no longer relied much on the transportation of grain from the interior, and the pressure on Lord Qiao was greatly reduced.

Of course, money still needs to be spent to buy grain, and the grain collected through taxes is far from enough.

In the court's view, the war was over now, and Shao Quanzhong was maintaining public order in Ili and Kokand provinces, and would be returning soon.

Lord Qiao has recommended many of Qiao's trusted confidants to take up posts in the two newly recovered provinces.

In the entire Qing Dynasty, only Li Hongzhang was still suppressing the Nian Rebellion in Shandong, and success was just around the corner.

The world soon became peaceful, and the Tongzhi Restoration had already begun.

Is the world really peaceful?

The imperial court did not know that the Huai Army, which had all gathered in southern Xinjiang, was still gradually gathering towards Kashgar and even Kokand Province. Food from the inland was still being transported to the front line through the Silk Road. There were more than a thousand steam tractors running in the desert next to Ili Province, and there was no sign of stopping production.

A huge amount of food and ammunition, although 10,000 troops were lost, the army has reached 88,000 people after absorbing the vassal army, and a large amount of ammunition including TNT products are gathering into a powerful force unparalleled in the world.

Shao Quanzhong was stationed in Kashgar, mobilizing this huge force, with the sword pointed directly at Central Asia...

(End of this chapter)